THE WEEKLY FEED: KEN ROCZEN TWEAKED BUT HAULIN’ HARD

CAUGHT!  Ken Roczen “Twist and Shout!”

This photo really showcases the ‘new’ Ken Roczen. With his left arm destroyed and with doctors hoping just to save it, Ken has made perhaps the biggest comeback in the sport. He still lacks the mobility, flexibility and strength he had in 2017 and this has forced him to adapt his form around the limitations of his body. With less rotation in his left wrist, his arm drops with body adjustments and only his incredible fitness and drive keep the machine in line. It’s taking a toll on his right arm, which is getting taxed and forced to take on more of the load in extreme conditions. The great equalizer is Ken’s core strength that mate to technical skills that keep him in the upper echelon of world class motocrossers. Ken is racing smarter this year, because he has to. As his body adapts to the changes you will see him get more aggressive. For now getting through turn one safe is key and the more technically tough the track is, the better his results.

 

A HISTORY LESSON: John DeSoto maulin’ his CZ

John Desoto brought tremendous upper body strength and incredible determination to his motocross game. Racing for the Czechoslovakian marque CZ following his trek to race in Europe brought Desoto both notoriety and results. The Flyin’ Hawaiian was tough on equipment, over racing the machines abilities to withstand the abuse of the track and the force he put on the bike with his upper body. When he switched to CZ, his results improved because the bikes were incredibly tough. Back in the early 70’s speed shifting through a bikes gearbox could turn it into shrapnel with one missed shift. CZ’s were known for trannies that were indestructible, their engines made pedestrian power but could take a bullet and come out smiling.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDICINE

 

Olympic superstar Michael Phelps may have 28 Olympic medals, but he took the time to hang with the KTM boys at the Phoenix SX.

 

 

 

Ron Turner, donning his glasses and Jofa was a So Cal phenomenon. He was a superb night racer (Ascot, Irwindale) and was a Saddleback specialist who could make factory racers look ordinary. Ron was also one of Uncle Donnie Emler’s biggest supporters and helped to forge the logo into the brains of the dirt bike enthusiast.

 

 

Towards the end of Roger DeCoster’s Suzuki term had him searching for something special. The suspension world was in a constant state of technological leaps and the RIBI linkage fork worked on a dramatically different platform than the standard telescopic fork. The fork was actually lighter and had the ability to roll-over obstacles and not bend back from impacts. This design used a double shock setup for the leading link design. Eventually, when DeCoster took the idea to his new team (Honda) a single shock, mounted up high replaced the twin Ohlins dampers. The design was hugely complex and very pricey and this kept them from shaping the future of suspension.

 

Jim Holley started racing in the early 70’s and made the switch to the national level for the 80s decade. One of Dirt Bike’s main testers during this time, Jim brought passion and a hard edged work ethic to his business. He is now the voice of Supercross-Live.

 

 

GEAR BAG

 

GET YOUR DUAL SPORT KTM PERFORMING WITH THE VORTEX X10 ECU KTM 500 EXC-F 17-18 FROM AOMC.MX

The ECU is like our CDI and EFI Interceptor rolled into one module controlling not only Spark timing and Voltage output but also Fuel Mapping and other engine management functions. The result is more power, better power, easier starting and ultimately faster lap times. This unit comes pre-programmed with 10 Performance Fuel & Spark timing maps as well as having 3 additional switches for user trimming of Fuel in Lo, Mid and Hi throttle openings. The ECU plugs directly into the bikes standard wiring harness and interfaces with all the standard engine sensors such as ECT (Engine Coolant Temperature), IAT (Intake Air Temperature), MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure), TPS (Throttle Position Sensor), CPS (Crank Position Sensor) to adjust fuel and spark timing for optimum power delivery in all weather, altitude and load conditions. $699.95

AOMC.mx

 

NIHILO CLUTCH FOR ’18 KTM/HUSKY 85

For 2018 KTM and Husqvarna have designed an all new clutch for the 85’s. The design is state of the art and a step above the competition. Like with all new components the Nihilo Engineers inspected every part of the new set up and found that the pressure plate needed to be made stronger. The stock pressure plate is made of cast aluminum and under extreme conditions has been known to warp and distort causing uneven pressure against the fiber plates which allows the clutch to slip. A slipping clutch will cause premature wear, heat and oil contamination. Nihilo Concepts supports some of the fastest riders in the country and they sure know how to put these bikes through their paces, clutch feel and action is very important and can be the factor between winning and losing a race.

www.nihiloconcepts.com

 

 

WOLF: BACK IN THE DAY

Dirt Bike’s 1987 Open MX shootout. I’m on the inside on the Honda CR500. The General Jon Miller is next to me, with my buddy Larry Roeseler on the YZ490 next in line. LR had recently left his post at Husky and was racing one of our test bikes in local enduros and National H&Hs. Later in the year another friend on mine, Mark Johnson took over Team Green’s program and we talked off-road and I introduced him to LR. The rest is history. And finally, on the outside was Gregg Blechman, a friend forever and perhaps the biggest moto enthusiast I had ever known. We lost Gregg to cancer.
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